Rock Star: The story of Reg Sprigg — an outback legend

Oil; uranium; geology; conservation; these are the catch-cries of our times and Reg Sprigg embodies them all. Reg is regarded as the greatest geologist of his generation and one of the best Australia has produced.

By the age of 30 he had discovered the oldest fossils in the world and some of its deepest under-sea canyons. He had worked at Australia’s first two uranium mines and searched for material to construct the world’s first atomic bomb.

By the time he was 40 he had helped found Santos and discovered the great Cooper Basin oil and gas fields—Australia’s largest on-shore petroleum province; he had set up the largest private geological consulting firm in the country; built his own boat and diving bell; and mastered the primitive art of scuba diving.

By the time he was 50 Reg had driven the first vehicle across the Simpson Desert and crossed the continent from north, south, east and west. He had established his own exploration company, Beach Petroleum; and also launched Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Australia’s first eco-tourism resorts.

The rest of his life he would devote to the unlikely bedfellows of mining and conservation, and to his insatiable love of geology.

Written in a lively, narrative style, Rock Star will make you laugh and cry and introduce you to a fascinating world that you never knew existed and won’t easily forget.

‘Well-written and generous with fact… an articulate, comprehensive biography of one of Australia's most extraordinary men‘ Outback magazine

‘a surprising, and altogether unexpected, delight… the South Australian geologist's impact was nothing short of immense‘ SA Life magazine